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“We good to go?” Jake asked.
“Yeah. The roadies are still packing the gear into the truck but they’ll be following on soon. Claire’s already left, and Laurelin’s riding up with Dave.”
“Well I’m gonna crash for the night,” I said to no one in particular, purposely avoiding eye-contact with Jake, knowing if I did my dick would automatically lurch towards him.
“Fuckin’ pussy!” Matt piped up. “Stay up and drink with us!” He clinked his bottle of beer against Gavin’s and Daz’s, then he tried to do the same to Kip but all he got in return was the middle finger. “Not tonight, man. Got a fucker of a headache coming on. Night guys.”
“You’re turning into such a fuckin’ loser in your old age, dude,” were Matt’s last words before I climbed up into my bunk and drew the curtain.
I stripped quickly down to my boxers, stuffing my dirty clothes into my overnight bag. Then I got into bed, bending my knees slightly so my feet didn’t hit the wall as I lay down. Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes and tried not to think about Jake being just a couple of feet away. I failed miserably, and ended up drifting off with a hard-on so huge it literally fucking ached.
“Nearly over for another year, eh?” Elle asked, slumping back into the plush couch in my hotel suite. We were leaving for the show soon. We’d rehearsed this morning, and then I spent the afternoon sleeping. I’d not seen Jake all day, which was weird because he’s supposed to be my personal bodyguard. His absence also made this strange ache appear in my chest.
“Yeah.”
The tour was coming to a close. Before arriving in the UK we’d made our way around Europe and then toured all the major US states. After tonight and tomorrow’s gigs in Manchester we were travelling back down south, finishing with two more dates back in London. We’ve got a three week break after that before we hit Australia and then it’s back to LA to get started on the new album.
“So what are your plans for the break you guys have got coming up?”
“Dunno,” I shrugged. “Probably head back to LA. Keep my head down for a couple of weeks.”
“What’s wrong with you? You’re normally buzzing before a show.”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I lied. I didn’t want to admit it even to myself, but the truth was I was missing Jake. How ridiculous? It’d only been a few hours.
“Okay, muscle man. You keep on with the bullshit if it makes you feel better.”
“Don’t be like that, Elle. I’m just tired, that’s all. We’ve been touring for months. It takes it out of you eventually.”
“Whatever,” she dismissed, rolling her eyes. “So anyway, I’m coming with you to Australia.”
“What? Why?”
“Jesus, Saw… don’t get too over excited, you might strain something.”
“Fuck off, Elle. You know that’d make me fucking ecstatic. It’s just… you never venture further than Europe. What about Kylie?”
“I’ll make sure she’s got enough money before I leave. She doesn’t know it yet but I’ve opened a bank account for her. She’s growing up, Saw. It amazes me how mature she is. I think she’s responsible enough to have access to some money that our mum will know nothing about.”
“But why the sudden change?”
“You’re not doing such a good job of convincing me that you want me to come!”
“You know I do,” I assured her. “So quit whining.”
“I guess I just want to see more of the world,” she shrugged. “And besides, I miss you when you’re on the other side of the world for months on end.”
“Aww, gorgeous girl,” I cooed, playfully kicking her foot with my own. “That’s about the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Dude! You in there?” Kip’s voice on the other side of my suite door cut into our conversation, followed by a knock.
“I’ll get it,” Elle said, jumping to her feet. She sashayed over to the door, purposely wiggling her hips like a catwalk model. Then she winked at me, clearly proud of her little strut, and opened the door.
“Cars are ready, mate,” Kip informed me. Instinctively I looked down at my watch. “Neil’s waiting for you by the lift.”
Neil? Why not Jake?
“Sure, man. Be down in two.”
Kip disappeared as quickly as he came. Jumping to my feet, I picked up my phone, quickly glancing at the screen in case I’d missed any contact from Jake, then sighing when I saw that I hadn’t. After stuffing it in my pocket, Elle approached me and fiddled with my hair, trying in vain to get my fringe to stay out of my eyes.
“Ugh,” she groaned. My floppy hair has always been a pain in her ass. “We’ll fix it when we get to the arena.”
“Come on, gorgeous girl,” I said, exhaling a small laugh. It amused me how frustrated she could get at a couple of strands of hair. “I’ve got songs to sing.”
Chapter Eight
“The guys need to know about this,” Laurelin said, standing tall with one hand on her hip as if that made her look intimidating or authoritative.
“I agree.” She blinked in surprise, dropping her hand from her hip.
“May I suggest we get these last few UK dates out of the way first?” Claire spoke.
“Hmm,” I pondered. “I think it’s gone too far to keep this on the down low any longer.”
I had been at the arena all day after getting a call from Claire saying on-site security had found a suspicious parcel in Sawyer’s dressing room. Upon inspection, the inside of the box revealed a black and white cat with it’s throat slit, lying in a pool of its own blood. On top of the animal was a note splattered with blood, the words formed from newspaper clippings. Very amateur.
The future only ever brings the end
It was a quote – taken from the lyrics of one of Souls of the Knight’s biggest hits. The message was clear. Whoever sent this wanted our attention, and after this stunt they definitely had it.
“Well I trust whichever decision you make,” Claire replied. I should think so too. That’s why she employed me after all.
